I'm On the World Megamarathon Rankings

Yesterday, I got an email from my friend Diane.  Diane is the North American Coordinator for the World Megamarathon Ranking.  This is a worldwide ranking of the runners who have completed the most marathons and ultramarathons.  To be included on the list, you need to finish at least 300 marathons or ultras.

http://worldmegamarathonranking.com/World_Megamarathon_Ranking/World_Ranking.html 

This website has links to both the world rankings and the North American rankings.  These lists are updated twice a year.  The most recent update reflects the rankings as of December 31, 2015.  I qualified for inclusion on these lists when I finished my 300th marathon or ultra at the Harpeth Hills Flying Monkey Marathon in November.  By the end of the year, I increased that total to 306.  That puts me in 463rd place in the world rankings and 103rd in the North American rankings.  Here’s an excerpt of the North American list.

 

I know several of the runners on the North American list.  A few of them have been running 100 or more marathons a year for several years, and will probably continue to do so.  They’ll keep climbing the list and improving their rankings.  I have no such ambitions.  Getting my name on this list was a big long-term goal, but I'm content with simply being listed.

In the last three years, I ran more than 50 marathons per year.  It took a toll on me.  Last year was particularly difficult, as I ran with injuries for nearly seven months.  Now I’m taking a break to get healthy.

This year, I’ll only run a handful of races.  If I get back in shape and stay healthy, that may increase a little next year, but I probably won’t go back to racing every weekend.  A few years ago, I found I could race and recover well on an every other weekend schedule.  That’s probably the most I’ll do in future years.  I’d like to strike a balance between racing often and racing well.